UNLABELLED: Large patient series undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy fail to show anatomic variations which lead to intraoperative bleeding. METHOD: Cadaver material was used and corrosion casting and postmortem arteriography were employed. RESULTS: Three types of cystic artery were devised according to the results. Type 1 normal anatomy. Type 2 more than one artery in Calots triangle and Type 3 no artery in Calots triangle. DISCUSSION: only 40% of the second cystic artery is present in Calots triangle. The short second cystic artery is characteristic and its most often origin is from a segmental branch of the right hepatic artery. When there is no artery in Calots triangle its origin unusual, and the artery is either on the postero-lateral side of the cystic duct or it approaches the gallbladder through hepatic tissue. The specifics of MIS approach make changes in the way we understand the anatomic variations of the cystic artery. The classification is a result of practical experience and anatomical investigations.
UNLABELLED: Large patient series undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy fail to show anatomic variations which lead to intraoperative bleeding. METHOD: Cadaver material was used and corrosion casting and postmortem arteriography were employed. RESULTS: Three types of cystic artery were devised according to the results. Type 1 normal anatomy. Type 2 more than one artery in Calots triangle and Type 3 no artery in Calots triangle. DISCUSSION: only 40% of the second cystic artery is present in Calots triangle. The short second cystic artery is characteristic and its most often origin is from a segmental branch of the right hepatic artery. When there is no artery in Calots triangle its origin unusual, and the artery is either on the postero-lateral side of the cystic duct or it approaches the gallbladder through hepatic tissue. The specifics of MIS approach make changes in the way we understand the anatomic variations of the cystic artery. The classification is a result of practical experience and anatomical investigations.